Through Daddy's Eyes
by SpacePrincess'xo
Summary: When Johnny Connor did a Very Bad Thing, he didn't think it'd lead to such consequences. The consequence was beautiful, charming and funny, but it brought him years of turmoil with the struggle to keep his dirty little secret under wraps. As the consequence grew older, fell in love and built a life of her own, he craved a connection with the daughter he never really knew.
1. Ten Days

**Hi :). This one's a little different. This is a pretty big project for me, and the first time I've done anything like this. I used to have an old fic which told Carla's story from the perspective of her seventeen-year-old self; this time is different. The angles will switch from that of Johnny and the secret that he kept for over forty years, to that of Carla, fresh-faced and falling in love for the first time. It'll be jumpy. One chapter she'll be four, and the next, she'll be eight. I'll focus on the milestones in her younger years, both for her and for Johnny, and we'll get to watch her grow up, deprived of the better childhood that she should have had.**

 **Interested? Then read on.**

 **There will be romance, mainly as Carla grows older, there will be anguish, particularly on Johnny's part, and you'll also see a glimpse of Carla and Rob's torment at their stepfather's hands. There's something for everyone.**

 **I really hope you guys enjoy this, because I'm really looking forward to writing it. I am open to suggestions, and would love your comments and views as this is a very new concept for me. I'm used to writing Carla as a hard-nosed bitch, having affairs and falling in love with unavailable men. This is very different, so I'd really appreciate knowing how you think it's going.**

 **Thank you so much for reading**

 **xoxo**

* * *

Through Daddy's Eyes

 _13th January 1975_

It had been a normal day for Johnny Connor. He'd gone to work at the office at nine in the morning, and spent his lunch break chain-smoking and exchanging banter with his colleagues over the week's football results – he was, he was ashamed to say, a Manchester City fan, and was continually mocked senseless by his Scouse co-worker who sat opposite him. Once five o'clock rolled around, he was out of his workplace in a flash and straight home to see his beloved wife, who worked making women's coats in the factory a few streets away. Their marriage was rock-steady, and Johnny adored his Louise with every fibre of his being. Once home, the pair bickered about the fact that they had ran out of milk – for the second time that week, Louise had pointed out, glaring at Johnny accusingly – and Johnny had retreated defensively and agreed to nip to the corner shop to restock. He'd had a nice chat with Cindy, the pretty teenage girl who worked behind the counter and who sometimes babysat for his cousin's five-year-old son, Paul. He'd bought his milk, plus a copy of the evening newspaper as a treat for himself, and stepped back out into the bitter January chill.

And that's when he saw her, and he could have sworn that, for a split second, his heart stopped beating.

Her hair was almost jet black, and hung loose down her back. She was hugging her arms around her chest, as all that covered her slim form was a battered, cheap-looking denim jacket, her feet adorned with nothing but a pair of pale pink slippers. If you examined her closely, you would notice the dark circles that framed her dull green eyes. In spite of all her flaws, she was a pretty young thing, but her beauty was tainted by the tell-tale signs of years of substance and alcohol abuse. It wasn't, however, her appearance which struck Johnny like a knife through his chest; it was the dirty, tattered pram which was parked in front of her as she glanced warily around the street.

"Sharon?" he called, without raising his voice loudly enough so that anyone would notice. Sharon Donovan glanced up, her eyes suddenly growing wide in panic.

"Shit," she hissed, pulling the pram's hood down a little further, "What do you want?" Johnny's steps slowed as he reached her, his eyes still fixed firmly on the grey and white coachbuilt pram.

"I just… Haven't seen you around for a while," he responded, his words hesitant, "Is that…?"

"A baby?" Sharon rolled her eyes, protectively gripping the handle and beginning to push her pram in the opposite direction. "'Bye, Johnny." Johnny paused, indecisive as to whether to follow her or to let her carry on walking as if their paths hadn't crossed. He went to leave, but it was as though there was some gravitational force rooting him to the spot.

"What's it's name?" he called after her, causing her to stop short in her tracks, draw in a deep breath and turn back around to face him.

"Her name's Carla. She were born Friday before last." There was a moment of awkward silence as Johnny caught up with her, attempting to glance into the pram to ogle the tiny baby nestled inside. "Can I go now?" Another pause.

"Can I have a look?" Sighing in defeat, Sharon allowed him to draw back the pram's hood, causing him to suck in an audible breath at the child's beautiful green eyes and tufts of dark hair. He flinched as he noted that she was wearing a stained pink babygro and was wrapped in a thin cotton blanket, which would do nothing to protect her from the winter weather. Then, his stomach dropped even further when he caught a glimpse of the half a dozen little plastic bags of powder which had been hastily stuffed underneath the pram's mattress, a couple of which were peeking out of the sides. Sternly, he turned to look at the nonchalant mother. "You can't carry on like this, Sharon. You should have said if you needed help."

"I didn't need yours," Sharon snapped back, though she looked away and folded her arms defensively across her chest. Johnny hesitated, before drawing his wallet out of the pocket of his work trousers. Sharon eyed him warily as he counted out around £12 in loose change, which he handed to her.

"Buy your little one some nappies or something. And if you need help, you know where I am." She merely nodded in thanks, before taking hold of the pram once again and beginning to push it in the direction of the cramped flat above the chip shop where she lived with her newborn daughter. Johnny's eyes followed her, his heart thumping with worry.

 _Johnny puffed a frustrated sigh out through his lips as he filled yet another glass midway with Scotch, before lifting it to his lips and sipping it straight, shuddering at the taste. Sharon watched him, curiously, raising an eyebrow._

" _So she ain't kicked you out then?" she asked, her voice sharp, stubbing out her cigarette in her makeshift ashtray, a cereal bowl fresh from her kitchen cupboard. She couldn't really explain how they'd got there. One minute, they'd both been drowning their sorrows in the pub across the road, and the next, there they were, sat on her dirty, broken sofa in the middle of her living room, both far from sober and showing no sign of stopping anytime soon. Johnny firmly shook his head._

" _No. But she's not exactly my biggest fan right now." Sharon laughed, loudly._

" _Are they ever?" Johnny almost smiled himself. She was very pretty when she laughed. Despite her home life, her problems with drugs and her lack of clean clothes and hot water, it was obvious when her eyes lit up that her deprived lifestyle masked a beauty underneath. "Other halves, I mean. My fella dumped me again at the weekend. Fifth time this year."_

" _I'm sorry to hear that."_

" _I'm not." She shrugged. "It's nice to have 'em around, but I'm alright on my own, me. It's nice to not have to rely on anyone." She sighed, draining the remainder of her glass of red wine, which was the last of the bottle that Johnny had bought at the pub for them to take away with them. "I don't reckon he fancied me anymore, anyway." At her last observation, her voice cracked, her lower lip trembling as a result of her emotions, heightened by the copious amounts of alcohol that she'd drank. Soothingly, an equally-intoxicated Johnny shuffled closer to her on the sofa and lazily draped his arm around her shoulder, hugging her against him._

"' _Ey, don't be daft…" he replied. He allowed her to sob tearfully for a few moments before adjusting her position so he could look at her and coaxing her head up so that her eyes met his. "Who wouldn't fancy you?" Again, Sharon laughed, sending a jolt of happiness through Johnny's body. He liked being the one who could make her laugh. Her knight in shining armour._

" _Don't let your Louise hear you say that."_

" _Yeah, well, she's not here right now, is she?" Silence suddenly fell upon them both as the realisation of Johnny's remark sunk in. He was right. She wasn't there. And Johnny was very grateful of that as he drew ever closer to Sharon and allowed his lips to graze daringly against hers, the taste of red wine residue making a long-forgotten feeling stir inside of him. He loved Louise more than anything in the world, but he missed being needed by somebody else. Louise was strong, she didn't depend on him. But right now, as their kissed deepened, he knew that Sharon needed him. He planned to stop their passionate embrace before it went any further. Who was he kidding?_

He watched Sharon turn the pram around the corner towards her flat, his mouth dry; Louise could never know.


	2. Four

p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;"strongThank you so much for your lovely reviews! I honestly will be taking your views into consideration, so I'd really like to hear what you think :)./strong/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;"strongHope you like it! :)/strong/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;"strongChloe xoxo/strong/p  
hr style="margin: 5px 0px; border: 0px; background-color: #cbcbcb; background-image: -webkit-gradient(linear, 0% 100%, 100% 100%, from(#ffffff), color-stop(0.1, #cbcbcb), color-stop(0.9, #cbcbcb), to(#ffffff)); color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;" noshade="noshade" size="1" /  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;"span style="max-height: 999999px; text-decoration: underline;"em17/ememth/emem February 1979/em/span/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;"A broad, genuine smile spread across Johnny's face at his wife's glittering laugh. The way that she threw her head back when something had really tickled her made his heart flutter, like they were two teenagers who had just started to fall in love. Whatever had happened in the past, he and Louise just seemed to grow stronger together year on year./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""We getting another, or did you want to get back and get dinner on?" she asked him, still smiling cheerfully. Johnny shrugged his shoulders, a slight glint appearing in his eyes./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""How about we stay for another and then stop by the chippie on the way home?" Johnny's suggestion earned an appreciative nod from his wife, who raised her glass of white wine and clinked it with his own pint of beer, before both of them drained away the remainder of their drinks. They and the other bar flies were suddenly engulfed in a bitter breeze as the door of the pub swung open to the sound of girlish squeals and frustrated yelling./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Carla, shut the hell up," Sharon snapped, though her demands fell on deaf ears as Carla excitedly bounded up to the bar, where she pulled herself up onto one of the stools and perched on the edge of it, beaming at the barmaid, who was also the owner of the establishment./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Mummy said you would let me have some orange juice if I asked very nicely…" she said shyly, batting her long, dark eyelashes. Elaine, the barmaid, smiled at the young girl in response but raised an eyebrow at her mother, who had struggled into the pub behind her with an almost-one-year-old baby balanced on one hip and her large handbag slung over the other arm. Her long, dark hair was scraped back in a loose ponytail and her eyeliner had smudged slightly underneath her eyes, and it was evident that her two children, the older of whom had just turned four, were running rings around her./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Sharon, you know what we discussed last time about bringing the kids in here after eight…" Elaine sighed, watching as Carla slid off of the bar stool and tottered around her mother, eyeing up the other punters in curiosity./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""I know, but they'll be really good, honest, they're knackered out today. I just really fancied a gin and tonic and it ain't the same at home," came Sharon's feeble response as she dropped her bag onto the bar and began rummaging around for her purse. "And a couple of juices as well, Robbie's in that sippy cup with the lid he had last time if you've got it to hand." Reluctantly, Elaine nodded, accepting the scrunched-up £1 note that Sharon passed over./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Take a seat and I'll bring them over." Sharon carried her baby son over to one of the pub's empty booths. He was incredibly tired after a long day and was resting his weary head against her shoulder, clearly longing to be in bed rather than being pumped full of artificial sugar. She unsuccessfully tried to round up her inquisitive daughter, who was staring at the glowing jukebox in the corner of the room, her green eyes wide./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Carla, will you flamin' well just sit down?" she pleaded, but to no avail. Instead, she quickly became preoccupied with her younger child as he grumbled in annoyance at being sat beside his mother on one of the uncomfortable booth seats. It was then that Carla noticed Johnny out of the corner of her eye. An excited grin spread across her face as she bounded over to their booth./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Uncle Johnny!" she sung, having been introduced to her mother's 'friend' many a time as they passed on the street. Johnny had always been very kind to her, sometimes even giving her a few pennies' worth of pocket money to buy some sweets at the corner shop after nursery. She knew the woman he was sat with, too – he often had Louise with him, but she was a less familiar face. Her mum never approached Louise when she was on her own, only ever when Johnny was around, too. Regardless, Louise always was always smiling, and Carla liked her just as much./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Hiya, love. You alright?" he asked the small child, though a rumble of guilt and panic arose in his stomach. He always worried when Carla and Louise were together. He knew that his fears were ridiculous; he'd never given his beloved wife any reason to suspect a thing, but that didn't mean that he wasn't afraid that she would notice a resemblance or a similar mannerism between himself and the child. Carla nodded cheerfully, climbing onto the seat beside him and forcing him to shuffle up a little so she could sit down. Johnny glanced over his shoulder, but Sharon was far too busy trying to calm a disgruntled Robbie to pay any attention to what her daughter was up to./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""I took my brother to the park today," Carla informed them, her expression growing adorably serious. "I pushed him on the swings but he got scared so he cried, and Mummy told me off because she couldn't get him to stop and we had to go home." Her face brightened again as she recalled the next part of her day. "But it was okay because she let me have a sandwich emand /ema bag of crisps for my lunch because we haven't got owt for dinner today. Mummy never lets me have crisps usually, but she let me this time." To compliment her story, Carla's stomach grumbled loudly, though the poor little girl had grown used to the pangs of hunger, usually only being allowed one proper meal throughout the day now that her mother had to stretch her weekly benefits payout to feed two mouths./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Did she now?" Johnny responded, instantly feeling another pang of guilt, though this time for different reason as he looked properly at the child beside him, noting how thin and fragile she looked, with barely any weight on her tiny frame. Carla was particularly small for her age anyway, being a fair amount shorter than his cousin's daughter, Michelle, who was over a year younger, but her evident malnourishment made her look even smaller. He caught sight of Sharon making her way back up to the bar with Robbie balanced on her hip once again, his tiny bottom lip sticking out in discontentment. "Are you gonna stay here with Louise while I go and get something to drink, love?" Carla nodded again, and Johnny pulled her up onto his lap so that he could switch seats with her, shooting Louise a grateful smile before quickly moving over to the bar just as Elaine was handing Sharon a packet of peanuts. "I hope those aren't for the kids?"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""I'm allowed to feed myself, aren't I?" Sharon snapped in response. Johnny took a deep breath, before quickly ordering himself and Louise another round of drinks and turning back to the mother-of-two./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""How are they?" he asked, genuinely concerned not just for the well-being of Carla, but also the younger child, the father of whom had deserted the family when Robbie was merely days old. He still cropped up from time to time to take the children for an ice cream or to play in the park, but he hadn't been able to handle full-time parenthood. "Carla said you've got nowt for dinner tonight."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Carla says a lot of things that pop into her head and have no real substance. She's four. She'd got an overactive imagination," Sharon reasoned quickly, though a slight pink colour tinged her cheeks in embarrassment as she shot her daughter a glare. Fortunately, the child was engulfed in deep conversation with Louise and didn't notice. Johnny, meanwhile, could see straight through Sharon./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""You know you can always come to me if you need help?"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""We don't."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""The offer's there." He thought for a minute, an idea appearing in his mind, which he blurted out before he'd actually had time to think it through. "Me and Lou are going for chips once we finish off here. Why don't we take Carla for some dinner while you chill out here and do whatever it is you need to do?" He knew he was being selfish. He liked spending time with Carla, she was entertaining, and he wanted to have some form of contact with her, even if she didn't have any idea who he really was. Besides, Louise liked her as well. For a woman who had been adamant when they had married that she didn't want children, it seemed as though seeing Carla's little personality shine through had begun to chip away at her. Sharon sighed, watching her daughter for a few seconds. Although she didn't like the fact that she couldn't give her children the very best in life, at present, she had bigger priorities to contend with./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""We only ran outta spare cash this week 'cause she needed new clothes, she'd grown out of all her old stuff. I didn't spend the child benefit on myself, honest." It was her words that drew Johnny to take in what Carla was wearing: an oversized pair of dungaree shorts and a long sleeved striped top, which draped over her little hands. It was clear that her clothing had been purchased to be suitable for the next couple of years, and were certainly inappropriate for the bitter February breeze. As well as this, the little girl had bare feet, which were noticeably dirty and scuffed. Johnny flinched, half in sympathy, half in guilt./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""What time should we expect you? By ten?" As Sharon nodded, Johnny shot her a small, reassuring smile, before carrying his two drinks back over to his table and slotting himself back into the little family that he'd longed for for so long./p 


	3. Four Again

p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;"strongThank you so much for all your comments, they're so lovely to read! I was worried that people would lose interest in this fic as, obviously, it's not completely about Carla and her love interests, as most Carla fics are. She will feature more and more prominently as she grows up, though - we'll start to see her story, and how Johnny reacts to it. I've probably made them a lot closer than they actually were as she was growing up - but hey, isn't that the beauty of fanfiction? ;)/strong/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;"strongI'm also concerned with chapter length at the moment. I'd really like your opinions on whether you'd prefer longer, less frequent updates (1,500 - 2,000 words) or shorter, more frequent updates (at least 1,000 - this update is almost 1,500 words) I'd really appreciate your feedback :). I know I'm a very wordy author - I read some fantastic fanfics on here that are very dialogue-based and I completely fall in love with the witty interaction between the characters. I am trying to make my writing more dialogue-heavy, but I just can't help myself. Again, I'd really love to hear all your views, I really do appreciate them :)./strong/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;"strongThanks so much again for reading. I'm not 100% happy with this chapter, but I also think it shows a side to Johnny that's really needed./strong/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;"strongChloe xoxo/strong/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Uncle Johnny?" Carla uttered, toying aimlessly with the collar of Jonny's pastel pink shirt. He had the small child hoisted up onto his hip, her slim legs wrapped around his torso, carrying her to protect her poor feet from the cold, uneven concrete. He held her close to his chest; too close, some might say, for a man who was a borderline stranger, but he felt a strong need to shelter from the world around them./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Yes, love?" came his reply./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""I like being with you and Auntie Louise." Johnny flashed his wife a sideways smile at Carla's nickname for her, which she happily returned. She walked beside them, a piping hot bag of fish, chips and sausages clutched to her chest as they ambled to the front door of their little home./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Well, that's good, then." Johnny reluctantly placed the little girl back down on the floor so that he could unlock the front door, before ushering both she and his wife inside and quickly shutting the door on the frosty February air. "Because we like being with you, too." Carla practically skipped over to the sofa and launched herself onto it. Johnny considered it amazing how much energy filled the child, despite her lack of nutrition and proper care. He collapsed onto the sofa beside her, whilst Louise disappeared into the kitchen to prepare plates of food for the three of them. It was then that he noticed that Carla had curled up into a ball, hugging her bare knees to her chest, and was shivering – he was able to feel the cool of her skin from his position next to her. "You cold, love?" Carla nodded, shooting him a shy smile. Johnny thought for a moment, before an idea occurred to him. "'Ey, I think I've got a pair of pyjamas upstairs that my niece wore when she came to stay at Christmas. How about me and you go and have a look, see if we can find them while Lou's dishing dinner up?" He rose from his seat, and offered his hand to the child, who took it, eagerly, and followed him up the winding staircase that led to the bedrooms of the house. "She's only three, but I doubt you're much bigger than her." As they entered the master bedroom which he and Louise shared, Carla perched on the edge of the bed, watching Johnny curiously as he began to rummage through the chest of drawers./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Uncle Johnny?"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Yeah?"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Do you have Barbies? We haven't got any at our house." Johnny chuckled at Carla's request./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""We don't, I'm afraid. They're not something that me and Louise really play with. And we don't have any children living here."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Why?" Carla asked, inquisitively, her green eyes wide with intrigue. Johnny pondered for a moment, turning from the chest of drawers to face her./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Well, because me and Louise aren't a mummy and daddy yet." The words stung as they left his mouth./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Why?" Johnny couldn't help but smile at the young girl's precociousness and curiosity./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Because it's a lot of hard work having children, love. Maybe one day, though, 'ey?" He rose to his feet once again, clutching a pair of pink and purple pyjamas with the character of Eeyore from 'Winnie the Pooh' etched across the front of the top, and miniature versions of him plastered across the bottoms. Once Carla was dressed, her outfit finalised by Michelle's fluffy pink slippers to shield her feet from the cold, the pair climbed back down the stairs, as Carla babbled away about some of her friends at the playgroup that she attended one morning a week – her mother had been given a couple of hours of childcare free a week in her benefits package. Johnny's face was glowing as he hoisted Carla up onto one of their dining room chairs, a small plate of chips and chopped up sausages in front of her. Although he was sure she had her moments, spending time with little Carla was like a dream./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;"It was gone eleven before Johnny heard a quiet rap on the front door, and he looked up from his newspaper with a jolt. Louise had gone to bed about half an hour ago, with Carla having crashed out on the sofa around ten. He'd fetched her a lightweight blanket and thrown it over her sleeping form, smiling adoringly at how peaceful she looked as she slept, her left thumb having crept its way into her mouth for comfort. Trying not to wake her, he slowly rose from his seat beside her and tiptoed over to the front door, pulling it open. He quickly placed a finger to his lips to warn Sharon of the sleeping child. She still had Robbie balanced on her hip, though he too was fast asleep, his small head buried into her neck./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""I thought you said ten?!" Johnny whispered exasperatedly, creeping back into the living room with Sharon behind him./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Yeah, well, the pub was live after you left. I lost track of time, didn't I?!" Sharon hissed, a little too loudly it seemed, as Robbie stirred and adjusted his position on her shoulder./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Sharon, are you drunk?!"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Hey! I've had a few, thank you. Not that it's any of your business."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Should you really be on your own with the kids in that state?" Johnny asked, noticing how a few of her words slurred and how glassy her eyes were. Knowing Sharon, it was unlikely that alcohol alone was solely to blame for her condition./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""I'm always on my own with the kids." Quickly, she tried to change the subject, peering around Johnny at her daughter, a small smile creeping up on her face. "Bless her."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Poor little lamb fell asleep about an hour ago," Johnny explained, glancing down at the sleeping child on his sofa, a sight for sore eyes. "She should have been in bed hours ago. They both should have."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""I bet she was a right little madam, weren't she?"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""No, she was perfect," he replied, honestly, crouching down beside the sofa and attempting to assess just how deep Carla's sleep was. "She's sparko. I'll carry her home."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""You don't have to do that."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""I don't have much choice, do I? You've got the little one, and if I wake her up now, she'll have you up all night." Sharon watched anxiously as Johnny carefully scooped Carla and the blanket up into his arms, cradling her protectively against his chest. As they stepped back outside into the open air, Johnny felt Carla shiver against him, and attempted to wrap her up in the blanket a little tighter. Fortunately, Sharon's dank flat was only around the corner and they were soon back inside, though the state of their home made Johnny recoil in disgust. Dirty plates littered the living room, clothes strewn everywhere, and empty beer bottles were scattered across the floor. He tried not to let his repulsion show, however, and merely stepped over any obstacles in his way as he fumbled to the first door on the left, Carla's room./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""I'll quickly put Robbie to bed. You alright with her?" Sharon asked. His chest filling with happiness, Johnny nodded, stepping into the pint-tinted bedroom, which was just as messy as the rest of the house. Dodging any stray stuffed animals and half-broken baby dolls, he slowly placed Carla down onto her toddler bed once he reached it, which she'd almost outgrown, before covering her with the thin sheet at the foot of it. Fortunately, the blanket from his house remained tightly wrapped around her tiny form, as there was an undeniable chill seeping into the room through the crack in the window. Johnny bent down to be at her level./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Night night, princess…" he whispered, before leaning over and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. Carla stirred, though merely snuggled down underneath the sheet and quickly fell back to sleep./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;"Johnny backed out of the room, reaching the living room at the same time as Sharon, who was now toddler-free./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""She still asleep?" she asked, her voice now returning to its normal volume. Johnny nodded in response./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""You're sure you're gonna be alright with them?" he asked, concern etched across his face./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""They're my kids, Johnny. Besides, what are you gonna do, 'ey? Stay?" He shrugged./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""I could…" Sharon laughed, a smirk appearing on her red-painted lips./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""And look what happened last time you did that, 'ey?" Her green eyes darted to Carla's bedroom door, before returning to shoot Johnny a stern, bitter look./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.079999923706055px;""Go home to your wife, Johnny." Johnny hesitated, desperate to form a response to her, but somehow, he couldn't find the words. Sighing in defeat, he headed back out of the flat's front door and into the bitter cold, where very faint snowflakes had begun to fall and settle lightly on the floor – leaving Carla behind./p 


	4. Six

**Another bit more lighthearted chapter here - in a way! Our girl's getting older, too.**

 **I've really appreciated the feedback, but I have noticed the none of my fics seem to be getting many reviews. I am concerned that people aren't reading them, so if you could just give me a wave if you're still reading, please do! If there's anything you want me to do to make things more interesting, please don't hesitate to leave constructive criticism. Same applies for all my fics :).**

 **I am in the middle of my uni coursework and exam at the moment, so please bear with me!**

 **Thanks again - enjoy Carla being a little cutie. :)**

 **Chloe xoxo**

oooooooooooooooo

 _26_ _th_ _June 1981_

He would recognise that giggle anywhere. Curiously, Johnny stepped closer to his living room window, shielded by the net curtains which his wife had bought at the weekend. A smile twitched at his lips as he watched her, Carla, hopping quickly and expertly over her skipping rope. Robbie, aged three, watched her, wide-eyed, from his seat on the curb, his thumb stuck in his mouth for comfort. He had discarded his pile of building blocks in favour of observing his sister, enviously.

"Watch me, Daddy!" Carla squealed, her eyes bright as she completed a complicated-looking step before landing elegantly and beaming at the man stood behind her, who was instead staring at the screen of his mobile telephone, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. "Daddy?" she tried again, her smile fading. The man glanced up.

"Hm? Oh, that was great, kiddo," Scott replied, half-heartedly.

"You weren't even watching…" Carla sighed sadly, trudging over to the curb to sit beside her brother and tossing her skipping rope aside. At the age of six, she was able to pick up on the feelings of adults; she was well aware when somebody wasn't interested in her and when she was fighting a losing battle. Rolling his eyes, Scott crouched behind her, not wanting to get into trouble with her mother for returning a grumpy child.

"Course I was. I'm good at watching things that are going on around me," he teased, before grabbing her by the waist and tickling her stomach, prompting the little girl to laugh uncontrollably.

"Daddy, stop!" she shrieked excitedly, trying to wriggle free from his grasp, "Robbie, make him stop!" Eager to join in with the fun, little Robbie leapt to his feet and launched himself at his father, grabbing onto his arm. Scott chuckled, lifting the small boy into the sky.

"Gotcha now, kid!" he roared, causing Robbie to squeal and kick his legs wildly.

Inside, Johnny tutted, leaning against the back of his sofa and folding his arms across his chest. He narrowed his eyes at the young father. Scott had dumped Sharon mere days before her night with Johnny. He'd never given any indication that he doubted being the child's father, though everyone on the estate was aware of Sharon's ways around the time of Carla's conception. Reuniting with Sharon just before she'd announced her pregnancy, he'd taken on the role of Carla's parent, before having a second child with her a couple of years later. Robbie was definitely his son, the resemblance between the two of them was uncanny. Robbie had inherited his sparkling blue eyes and thick brunette locks from his father, whilst Carla's hair was raven black and her eyes emerald green, exactly like her mother's.

Then, the pair had split up again a few months after Robbie's birth, and Scott had visited his children every other weekend ever since. He'd been a partial-father, there for the good bits and skipping all the bad. When Sharon needed money for new school uniforms, or shoes, or dinner for the week, where was he then? Johnny tore his eyes from the family scene in front of him and instead slumped on his sofa to watch television. His wife was still at work, working overtime to save up for a little getaway for them that summer. Johnny, meanwhile, had had an office meeting and had been gifted the afternoon off. No matter how hard he tried to engulf himself in whatever dreary television series he'd landed on, he couldn't block out the joyous laughter from outside.

He remained in his position for around half an hour, before realising that the little giggles and squeals had ceased. Curiously, he rose to his feet once again and drifted over to the window, where he felt a tight constricting feeling in his chest as he watched Carla throw her arms around her father and squeeze him tightly, tiny tears dripping down her cheeks.

"Don't go…" she mumbled sadly into Scott's shoulder, leaving tearstains on his coat. Scott merely placed her down on the curb and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. Sharon had joined the family; she was clutching a tired Robbie in her arms, and her green eyes were narrowed at her former flame, who merely sighed.

"You knew this was coming, Shaz…"

"Doesn't make it any nicer for them, does it?" she snapped, furiously, "You're not the one who's gonna have to deal with two screaming kids wondering where their dad is!" Lost for words, Scott brushed his fingertip over Robbie's cheek, who turned and shielded his face in his mother's chest. Slowly, Scott turned and headed for the shiny sports car which was parked up the curb beside them, slipping inside without giving the children a second glance. The three plus Johnny watched as Scott revved his engine and sped off down the street, with Carla staring forlornly after him, tears still spilling down her cheeks. "Carla, are you coming in for dinner?" her mother asked. Carla merely shook her head. With a disgruntled sigh, Sharon turned her back on her six-year-old and ambled her way over to her flat, Robbie still balanced on her hip.

Johnny watched the exchange, his mouth dropped open in horror. He may not have had a very influential presence in Carla's life, but he could not comprehend how a mother could leave her little girl alone in the street in floods of tears. Carla sorrowfully kicked the loose stones beneath her feet with the toe of her battered trainers, gathering her skipping rope from beside her and picking at the foam handle. In a heartbeat and before he knew what he was doing, Johnny was outside, clutching a supermarket carrier bag tightly in his hand and warily approaching the small girl, not wanting to startle her.

"Carla?" he tried, softly, causing Carla to raise her head with a slight jolt. "Hiya, love. You okay?" She shrugged her shoulders and dropped the skipping rope to the floor, picking her fingernails instead.

"My Daddy left."

"Did he?" Johnny couldn't deny the pang of envy and guilt that shot through him hearing Carla refer to another man as 'Dad', particularly one who hadn't shown anywhere as much interest in her as she deserved. "He'll be back in a couple of weeks, though, won't he?" Carla shook her head.

"No. He's not coming again. He said he was moving away and he's never coming back." Her voice broke and another wave of tears brimmed in her eyes. His heart aching, Johnny crouched to her level and perched on the pavement beside her, despite the pain that it caused his aging back.

"I see… Is he going far?"

"Burning Ham."

"Birmingham?" A chuckle passed his lips at Carla's childlike error, though he quickly suppressed it as the child let out a heartfelt sob. "'Ey, love, I'm sure it'll be alright… I'm sure he'll let you phone him, you'll be able to talk to him all the time…"

"Mummy's happy when he's here. It's the only time she's not sad or angry," Carla confessed, shuffling up a little closer to the man who she had grown to trust and feel comfortable around. Johnny froze, hesitating before posing his next question.

"Does Mummy get angry with you a lot?"

"Not really. She doesn't talk to me sometimes. She's always busy on the phone. I like it when Daddy comes because he plays with me and Robbie and we don't have to play on our own. He's only three and he can't play my games with me," Carla explained, innocently. Johnny smiled down at her and slipped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in closer to him in a loving hug.

"'Ey, now if you ever need someone to play with, you can always come and find me, alright? I'm good at games, me."

"And Auntie Louise?" Johnny nodded in agreement. It warmed his heart how attached Carla had become to his wife.

"And Auntie Louise. She's even better at games than me. Here, I got you something from the shop the other day," he replied, offering the carrier bag to the sad little girl, who took it from him cautiously. She raised an eyebrow.

"What is it, Uncle Johnny?"

"Open it, silly." The girl peeked inside the bag, her emerald eyes lighting up in sheer delight when she realised what the contents were.

"Pink Princess Barbie!" she squealed excitedly, tossing the carrier bag to the floor and examining the beautiful doll complete with dozens of accessories and a few outfits, a much more expensive toy than she'd ever owned before. "I wanted one for Christmas but Santa ran out! Thank you, Uncle Johnny!" she sung, throwing her arms around Johnny's neck and squeezing him, gleefully. Johnny hugged her back, wishing more than anything that he didn't have to let her go. But, of course, give a six-year-old a Barbie doll and there's no holding them back. Her thoughts and worries of her father quickly drained away, and Carla leapt to her feet, bouncing up and down on the spot in joy. "I want to go home and put her in my Barbie castle!" Johnny smiled. As Sharon had nowhere near enough money to buy one of the lavish Barbie castles for her daughter, Carla has improvised and made her own out of cardboard, which she'd eagerly shown Johnny on many of his visits to the flat.

"Come on then, Princess. Let's get you and Barbie home…" Johnny hauled himself to his feet, groaning at the stiffness of his back, and ushering the small girl in the direction of her home. The grin plastered across her face was wider than it had been all day.


	5. Nine

**Thank you very much for the review! Sorry it's been so long - I've had exam and coursework stress at uni, and then I've been on holiday to Florida, so I haven't had a chance to update my fics recently. But here it is!**

 **Carla's growing up, which is great for me as a writer because the older she gets, the more interesting she is to write for. She has her own voice now, and is more than just a very cute little girl (though I do love writing about her as a four-year-old!).**

 **I hope I haven't left it too long between updates, and I really hope that people are still enjoying reading. I'm sure we're all hoping for Carla's return; I love writing my fics because they're keeping me content in the meantime. If you're reading, please drop me a review to say hi - I really appreciate your comments, and I welcome constructive criticism!**

 **Once again, thank you so much to everyone who is reading and reviewing.**

 **Chloe xoxo**

ooooooooooooooooooo

 _26th May 1984_

Johnny had always been a man full of good ideas, yet, watching his pregnant wife groaning in frustration as she failed to get comfortable on the battered sofa in their caravan, he was beginning to feel like this idea was not one of his greatest. He'd lined up every fan he could find in front of her and pointed them directly at her sweat-soaked face. It was the start of a scorching hot summer, but he'd promised Carla and Robbie months ago that he would take them to the caravan site, and he'd hated the thought of disappointing them. Of course, this had been before Louise had found out that she was carrying his child, but she'd refused to be left at home. Anxiously, Johnny paced up and down the living room.

"What can I do to help?" he asked, shooting his wife another concerned glance. She opened her eyes, which flashed irritatedly.

"Maybe stop wandering around the room like a caged animal? I'm pregnant, Johnny, not an invalid..." she grumbled, lying back and resuming her resting position. Obediently, Johnny halted on the spot. His mind, however, was still buzzing with thought.

"What if I tell Sharon to take the kids down to the Kids Club on her own tonight? Give you a night in to relax, for both of us to relax, in fact. Then, tomorrow, when you're feeling better, we can spend the day with them?"

"I'm not having you letting those kids down just because I'm feeling a bit overheated. You take them down, I'll have an hour's kip and come and join you when I'm feeling better." Firmly, Johnny shook his head.

"I've come here on this holiday with you. Just gimme five minutes, I'll pop next door now and have a word." Hastily, Johnny stepped into his shoes and headed for the door, not waiting for Louise's response.

"Johnny!" she hissed, sitting up straight but grimacing in pain at the ache in her stomach. She knew that she was just too hot and bothered and that her uncomfortable predicament wasn't anything sinister. But the door had already clicked shut behind her husband as he made his way over to the next-door caravan, which was usually used by his cousin, Barry, and his wife and family. As their eldest son was going through his first year of examinations at school, they'd opted to stay home over the half-term break, and Johnny had seized the opportunity to offer Carla and Robbie their first ever holiday - along with their mother, of course. Stepping up to the front door, Johnny went to knock, but was surprised to find that the door was already on the latch. Slowly, he creaked it open and peered inside, seeing nothing but hearing the faint hum of childlike voices coming from the bedroom. He let himself in, and froze in shock at the sight awaiting him.

Sharon was sprawled out across the living room sofa, completely unconscious. Her top had risen to reveal her alcohol-bloated stomach and lining of her lace bra. An almost-empty bottle of whiskey had toppled over beside the sofa, filling the room with the room with the pungent stench of spirit. A quick glance at the steady rise and fall of her stomach told Johnny that she was alive, at least. He shook his head in disgust and disbelief; they had only arrived mere hours ago.

"Carla?" he called softly, following the sound of voices through to the master bedroom. Carla was lying on her stomach, kicking her bare legs and exasperatedly resting her chin in her hands. Meanwhile, Robbie was propped up using all of the pillows stacked on top of each other, his little legs crossed and a puzzled expression on his face. Between the pair were a couple of piles of playing cards, and both had other sets clasped in their hands. Johnny smiled. "What'cha playing?"

"Go Fish." Carla sighed, shifting to sit up and look over her shoulder at their visitor. "Trying to, anyway. Robbie's rubbish."

"Am not!" Robbie insisted, sticking out his lower lip in a pout and throwing down his hand, flashing the cards at everyone. His sister rolled her eyes pointedly.

"See what I mean?" Johnny couldn't help but grin as he stepped further into the room and ruffled the young girl's dark hair affectionately. She was nine going on nineteen, wise beyond her years. She'd had to be. She was a mother to her younger sibling. "Has Mum woken up yet?"

"Afraid not... How about I take you two next door and show you how to play real card games? And my cousin's got kids of about your age, some of their toys should be in here somewhere." Worries of his wife's condition faded from his mind as he found himself drawn to the idea of spending time with the children - namely, the quick-witted little girl whose mannerisms were so much like his own.

ooooooooooooooooooo

A few hours seemed to sail by. Johnny had no idea what time it was. Robbie had crashed out in the middle of the living room floor, surrounded by dozens of Action Men dolls dressed in superhero capes and firefighter gear. Barry's ten-year-old son, Liam, longed to be a fireman when he grew up. He'd curled up in a ball, with one of the larger dolls cradled against his chest. Louise, too, had retired to bed not long after, hoping to wake up feeling refreshed and to have shook off her temperature. That left Johnny in the company of a nine-year-old, though you wouldn't have thought it judging by the impressive vocabulary streaming from her mouth.

"Why don't you smoke, Uncle Johnny?" she asked, inquisitively, nodding towards the empty ash tray on the coffee table. Johnny paused, surprised by her blunt question.

"Well... I used to. But Auntie Louise is pregnant, isn't she? She's having a baby? And it isn't good for pregnant women to smoke, so we both packed it in together." Carla sighed forlornly in response.

"I wish Mum would stop smoking. Fags smell well gross. Her old boyfriend had this daughter, Gabby. She were fourteen, and she gave me one once, told me to smoke it to prove that I weren't a baby."

"And did you?!"

"No, I stuck it in my mum's fag packet when no one were looking. She were well chuffed to have found another one an' all." Carla smiled cheerily and shrugged her shoulders as she continued placing cards down on the table in front of her. Johnny had taught her how to play Clock's Patience, and her advanced mind allowed her to breeze through it. The pair sat in silence for a while as Carla concentrated on her game, with Johnny watching, until she spoke again.

"Will you still come to see us after the baby's born?" Johnny was stunned, and unable to answer Carla's simple question at first. His heart lurched, and he couldn't take his eyes off of her skinny form. This little girl was so used to being deserted by her mother, various father figures, constant fleeting presences throughout her life that she instantly assumed that she would be left again. Even by him. The thought of abandoning her further than he already had made his chest ache with sadness.

"Don't be daft..." he assured her, softly, sliding an arm around her shoulders as she placed down her final card and leant back against the sofa cushions, "You can't get rid of me that easily. 'Ey, you can come see the baby when it's born as well. I'm sure it'd like that, and I know Auntie Louise would, too." Carla seemed pleased at that. She and Robbie had been the catalysts for Johnny and Louise to start a family of their own, really. They had never really contemplated having children before spending time with their young neighbours.

"Do you want it to be a boy or a girl?"

"I don't really mind. I'd like a boy, though."

'Why?" Carla asked, screwing her nose up in disgust.

 _Because it would be perfect if I had one of each_ , Johnny thought to himself, though quickly shook his head to rid himself of the idea.

"Well, because I could teach him how to play football and stuff."

"Or you could end up with a kid like our Robbie. He's a right girl," Carla commented, pointing her toes at her sleeping brother. Johnny chuckled.

"I wouldn't mind a girl, either. As long as it's healthy, whatever it is is fine by me."

"That could be even worse. It could be like me. Mum says I'm a pain in the backside," Carla replied, innocently. Again, Johnny couldn't help but laugh, and he pulled the child closer to him for a hug.

"Trust me, if my little one turns out half as good as you, kid, then I will be one very proud daddy..." He smiled, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head, and momentarily closed his eyes, thinking deeply. _I already am_.


	6. Nine Again

**Hello! Another chapter for you all :).**

 **Firstly, to Bonnie Sveen Fan and Cln9, thank you so much for your lovely reviews and support, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you're enjoying the relationship between Johnny and Carla - I know this is probably exaggerated and nothing like the canon universe that the writers would create, but I really enjoy writing it this way.**

 **Johnny is such an interesting character. I didn't think that I would love writing this fic as much as I do. He is in a unique situation, which makes him very complex - as much as I hate him for what he has done to Carla, I can't help but feel sorry for him as he is trying not to hurt anyone. At the same time, it's his fault, so it's a very interesting perspective to write from!**

 **In the chapters after this one, we start to see more of Carla blossoming herself and developing relationships with her friends as well as her father. For now, though, here is more of Johnny, Carla and little Robbie (don't get too used to him being sweet and innocent for long, though!).**

 **Once again, thank you so much to all readers and reviewers, I'm over the moon that you're enjoying this. Warning: there is a bit of bad language in this chapter - only one word, but it seemed appropriate.**

 **I hope you like the chapter!**

 **Chloe xoxo**

* * *

 _12th August 1984_

Johnny rushed around the family home, stuffing whatever he could find into his rucksack. Clean clothes, toiletries, the morning's newspaper and the little teddy bear that he'd bought only a week ago, everything that he thought he, Louise or their newborn baby boy might need over the coming days. Their little one had come into the world the previous evening, making an appearance a couple of weeks earlier than expected. He was absolutely gorgeous. He had big blue eyes, feather-soft skin and tufts of dark hair that almost curled at the ends. The way that his stubby little fingers had gripped Johnny's own mere hours after his birth made his chest swell with an indescribable love that he had never experienced before.

He quickly yanked the zip of his rucksack shut, swearing in frustration when it got stuck. He was desperate to get back to the hospital, to his wife and their tiny baby. He darted back out into the street and slammed the door closed behind him. It was a scorching hot Sunday afternoon, and the street was filled with cars parked along the curb, the scent of barbeques and the buzz of music filling the air. Consequently, he'd been forced to park in the next street, and he took off almost at a jog in the direction of his car. As he turned the corner, he stopped dead in his tracks as the crash of something shattering against a hard surface pierced the happy bubble around him. And then came a shrill scream, the little girl's voice hauntingly familiar. He was right outside Sharon's flat.

The protective instinct that Johnny had begun to feel towards his new son suddenly kicked in and, dropping his heavy rucksack to the floor, he darted to the front door and kicked it open; Sharon always left it unlocked. He bounded upstairs and, as he burst into the flat, his eyes widened as they instantly landed on Carla and Robbie, both of whom were cowering behind one of the kitchen units. He turned, and leapt out of the way just in time to avoid a glass bottle smashing against his head. Sharon had her back up against the wall and was staring in terror at the rough man opposite her, who Johnny recognized as her new boyfriend, George. He had met him at the pub the weekend before.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" George growled, narrowing his eyes at Johnny. Johnny stammered for words.

"I… I was just passing. I heard a noise." He turned his attention to Sharon, who had straightened at his entrance. "Are you okay?" Sharon nodded quickly, clearing her throat.

"I'm fine, I… Just go, Johnny." Johnny's eyes flicked to the two innocent little children, who were clinging to each other in terror and watching the scene in front of them with wide eyes.

"I'm taking the kids with me," he insisted, determinedly, moving over to them and placing a comforting hand on Carla's shoulder. George scoffed.

"Who are you, their dad?" he sneered. The question sent a chill through Johnny's spine, and he gave Carla's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"No. I'm a friend, they're nine and six-years-old and they're scared to death," he responded calmly, "I won't interfere with your arguments if you don't want me to. It's not my place. But I'm not having you terrifying the crap out of these kids. Call me if you need me, Sharon." He gave Sharon a nod that implied that he was there for her if she needed him. Then, he grabbed Robbie by the waist and swung him onto his hip, took hold of Carla's trembling hand and took them from the room, closing the door behind him. As they made their way to his car in silence, he was racked with guilt – he was seriously debating calling the police, but knew that social services would be crawling all over the flat in an instant, which he certainly didn't want for the two vulnerable children. He knew that Sharon would come to him if she really needed him.

"Uncle Johnny, where are we going?" Carla asked as he strapped her into the car, her voice small. He gave her a faint smile.

"You'll see. It's a surprise."

* * *

Louise glanced up from the little baby wrapped up in a pale blue blanked who was resting in her lap and raised her eyebrows as Johnny ushered Carla and Robbie into the hospital room. She shot Johnny a quizzical look, who merely mouthed 'I'll explain later' in return. Then, she grinned broadly at the children.

"Hello, you two." In an instant, Carla was by her side, her eyes lighting up at the baby's wrinkled cheeks and pink skin.

"Oh, he's so cute!" she gushed, her fingers brushing across the baby's forehead, barely gracing his skin. Robbie, meanwhile, hung back apprehensively, feeling for Johnny's hand. He wasn't really old enough to understand what babies were all about. Johnny lead him over to the bed and, after pressing a loving kiss to Louise's temple, collapsed down into the chair beside her and pulled Robbie onto his lap.

"Do you like him?" he asked Carla. She nodded eagerly.

"Look at his hair…" she breathed, aweing at the softness of it as she wound her finger gently around one of the tufts. Johnny sucked in a sharp intake of breath. The baby's hair colour matched hers almost exactly; in fact, he was strikingly similar to how Carla had looked as a newborn baby. "What's his name?" Adoringly, Johnny took his wife's hand in his own, lacing their fingers together and giving her hand a tender squeeze.

"He's called Aidan."

* * *

The children spent a couple of hours at the hospital, before one of the nurses insisted that both Louise and baby Aidan needed to rest. As much as Johnny loathed having to leave his family's side, he knew that he had a duty to the two children that he'd voluntarily taken into his care, and he took them back to his house for a while longer and made them some dinner.

When it looked as though young Robbie could scarcely keep his eyes open, he walked them back around the corner to Sharon's flat. When she tentatively opened the door, Johnny made her promise profusely that George was spending the night in his own home before he would let the children inside.

"Carla, can you take Robbie to go and brush his teeth and put his pyjamas on? Then I want both of you to get into bed, and I'll be in in a bit to say goodnight," Sharon instructed her young, spirited daughter, who shot Johnny a shy smile before leading her brother into the bathroom. Once the door was firmly shut behind them, she continued. "Thank yo-"

"What the hell are you doing, Sharon?" Johnny hissed, cutting her off, "How can you bring a bloke like that into your kids' lives?"

"It was just an argument."

"Chucking bottles at your guests isn't what I'd call 'just an argument'."

"He would never touch the kids. God, he would never touch me! George is lovely, he's just… Opinionated."

"Is that what you call it?" Johnny scoffed, his eyes narrowing. "I'm not having Carla anywhere near him. Or Robbie, for that matter."

"Sorry, Johnny, but you surrendered your rights when you paid me off and left her not knowing who her father was!" Sharon snapped, folding her arms defiantly across her chest. "You didn't want her. You made your decision." She had plenty more that she wanted to say, but she was interrupted by the opening of the bathroom door. The two children moved into Robbie's bedroom, and the adults waited until Carla reemerged a minute or so later. She closed Robbie's bedroom door, but hovered by her own, watching the adults with a precocious curiosity.

"Go to bed, sweetheart. I'll be in in a minute." Carla, however, had other ideas. She padded across the living room floorboards and, upon reaching them, flung her arms around Johnny's waist. He was taken by surprise, and stood stock still for a few seconds before hugging the little girl back, stroking her dark hair affectionately.

"Thank you…" she whispered, so softly that Johnny wasn't sure that Sharon had heard. As she pulled away, he bent down and dropped a soft kiss to the crown of her head.

"'Night, love…" he murmured, giving her a warm smile, "Sleep tight." Carla returned the smile, before turning and scurrying across the room and into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. Sharon let out a pent-up breath, and when he looked at her, Johnny was amazed to see that her eyes brimmed with tears, which she quickly tried to rub away.

"You'd best be off," she uttered, her voice breaking, "Frances at the corner shop told me your little boy was born last night. Congratulations." Johnny simpered.

"Thanks." He hesitated, before slowly frowning instead. "If you're scared about him coming back, I can stay. I can't go back to the hospital tonight anyway."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not your responsibility."

"Maybe not, but she is," he pointed out, nodding towards Carla's bedroom. "I'm worried about you. All of you." Sharon forced an unconvincing smile, but the fear was evident in her eyes.

"I'm a big girl," she insisted, bravely, "I can handle myself."

"You call me if you need anything."

"I will."

"Well, goodbye…" Johnny paused. After what seemed like minutes but was, in reality, only a few seconds, he moved towards the door, not daring to look back over his shoulder for fear that he may refuse to leave.


	7. Eleven

**Hi, everyone!**

 **Thank you to everybody who is reading and reviewing, it honestly means so much to me.**

 **Our little girl is growing up - and look who else is here! I'm excited to finally be writing this section in Carla's life.**

 **It's up to you guys how much time you would like me to dedicate to Carla's school days. I can either have it over in a few chapters, or I can spend a bit longer developing her teenage relationships before concentrating on her adult life.**

 **Please let me know your thoughts, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Chloe xoxo**

* * *

 _2_ _nd_ _September 1986_

As Carla pulled her front door shut behind her, she stopped to quickly roll the waistband of her school skirt over a couple of times. There was no way that she was going to her first day at secondary school dressed like a nun, but if she'd tried to leave the flat showing off a little too much of her thighs, her hot-headed stepfather would have forced her to stay at home. Satisfied, she slung her heavy schoolbag over her shoulder and headed down the road in the direction of the town's only upper school. She wasn't phased by being let into the big wide world on her own at the tender age of eleven; she and her brother had been playing in the streets since they'd been small.

Meanwhile, Johnny turned into the street, clutching a carrier bag from the shop on the corner. He'd had to make an early-morning milk run after finishing off the rest of it the night before – he had a two-year-old son who would throw the tantrum of all tantrums if he couldn't have Coco Pops for his breakfast. He broke into a grin as he spotted the well-dressed young girl shuffling along the pavement, hauling a bag that was almost the size of her.

"Morning, kiddo," he called to her. She spun around to face him, and flashed him a toothy smile of her own.

"Hiya!" she sung, dropping her bag to the pavement beside her. When they met, Carla threw her arms around Johnny's neck, something that she'd been accustomed to doing ever since deciding that he was a friend who truly cared about her and her brother's welfare.

"Look at you!" She grinned and twirled around in front of him, finishing in a pose with her hand on her hip.

"Do you like it? My blazer's a bit big, but Mum reckons it gives me "room to grow"." Carla rolled her eyes, making air quotes with her fingers.

"You look fantastic, sweetheart. New shoes an' all?" Johnny asked, proudly. Sure, the new uniform had cost him a small fortune, but seeing the young girl looking so polished for once made every penny worth it. Carla nodded, excitedly.

"Yup. And I've got trainers for P.E."

"Well, aren't you a spoilt little thing?" Johnny teased her, nudging her shoulder, playfully. His eyes came to rest on the hemline of her skirt, and he furrowed his brow. "Your skirt's a bit small, though."

"No it's not. It's meant to be like that."

"You'll get yourself into trouble, young lady."

"Er, who made you my dad?" It was clear that Carla was only messing around, but the words sent a pang of sadness through Johnny's chest. He felt such a draw towards being protective of Carla, and it hurt him immensely that she didn't understand why he treated her with more than mere neighborly concern.

"You're not walking to school, are you?"

"No, I thought I'd take my private jet that's parked 'round the corner."

"You can tell where you get your lip from. Why don't I give you a lift in? It's your first day," Johnny offered, trying to mask the hint of hope in his voice. Carla pondered the offer for a moment, before decisively shaking her head.

"Nah, I might as well start how I mean to go on. Besides, they'll only think I'm the weird kid who isn't allowed to walk to school on their first day."

"You're only eleven, Carla."

"Ta for the memo." Johnny couldn't help but chuckle at the youngster's quick wit and sharp retorts. With her long, dark hair in loose waves that cascaded down her back, and her green eyes sparkling with mischief, nobody would expect such clever comments to escape her lips.

"Let me walk with you, then," he tried again, but Carla's eyes widened and she firmly shook her head.

"Do you want me to get bullied?" Suddenly, Johnny spotted a familiar figure turn the corner into the street, mooching in their direction, kicking a battered football between his feet. An idea popped into his head.

"'Ey, Liam!" he called to the boy, who looked up, startled, before relaxing and raising a hand in greeting.

"Morning, Uncle Johnny," the boy replied.

"Come 'ere a sec." Carla watched in curiosity as the boy tucked his ball under his arm and jogged over to them. His hair was disheveled, and his school shirt untucked at the back, his blazer tossed over his shoulder, discarded in the warmth of the end of the summer. He nodded to her, running his eyes over her and giving her a small smile.

"Hiya," he mumbled, somewhat shyly. His voice was still fairly high-pitched and had yet to develop the deepness of maturity, which therefore suggested to Carla that he must be around her own age.

"Hi."

"Carla, this is my nephew, Liam. He lives with his mum and dad a few streets away," Johnny explained, before turning to the young boy, "Liam, Carla is-"

"I know who she is," Liam interrupted, the name jarring a memory, "She's Sharon Donovan's kid. We see her playing out with her brother sometimes."

"Good, then you won't mind walking her to school, because it's her first day and she's only eleven."

"You don't have to do that," Carla quickly insisted, a slight pink tinge appearing in her cheeks, "Honestly, Uncle Johnny, I'll be good and I won't talk to any strangers." She smiled at Liam, before hoisting her bag onto her shoulder once again. "It was nice to meet you." She turned on her heel and hastily scurried back down the path, though, seconds later, she became conscious of footsteps behind her.

"'Ere, slow down, will you? It's only ten to eight," came Liam's voice once again.

"I'm fine. I don't need a babysitter." Despite her words, Carla slowed her steps as she felt a hand on her shoulder. He was only touching her lightly, but she was surprised at how strong his hand felt for such a young boy.

"I'm not babysitting you. It's lonely on my own, anyway," Liam joked, falling into step beside her.

Johnny watched the pair as they rounded the corner, satisfied that Carla was safe now. He felt a weird ache in his chest; a mixture of pride, and sadness that she wasn't a little girl anymore.

* * *

"Why'd you call him 'Uncle Johnny', anyway?" Liam asked. Carla hesitated, before shrugging.

"Dunno. I've never really thought about it. Just always have. He's dead over-protective, though."

"I've got a sister. She's ten, and I wouldn't want her walking all the way to Salford Comp on her own. She wouldn't even know the way."

"You do it."

"I'm twelve." Liam's chest swelled at this, and a confident smirk appeared on his lips, "And I'm a boy. We're stronger."

"No, you're not."

"We are. Mr Kusk'll tell you that in Science."

"Well, you're only a kid. You'd hardly be able to take on a massive bloke who wants to nick your wallet, would you?" Carla pointed out. Swiftly, she moved her foot in front of Liam's and stole his football from him, before kicking it a few feet in front of them and into the grass. Impressed, Liam raised his eyebrows.

"Not bad for a girl. Where'd you learn that?"

"Kid brother. Not all girls are useless. Some of us learn how to fight for ourselves." Carla's words sounded off-the-cuff, but thoughts of her turbulent home life flooded her mind. Images of her cruel stepfather approaching her mother, she and Robbie cowering in a corner, or him sneaking into her room at night so that they could both hide under the covers and try to ignore the thunder of shouting and the smashing of glass in the next room. Safety in numbers. George had married her mother the previous year. There was no big ceremony or pretty dresses or flashy parties, like the weddings that other children in her class had been to. Carla had just come home from school one day to the news that George was now her stepfather by law. Sharon hadn't even cracked a smile when she'd told her. Quickly, Carla shook herself out of her daze as she and Liam stepped through the school gates. "Thanks for making sure I didn't look like a loser walking here with Uncle Johnny running along behind me." Liam chuckled.

"You'll be the envy of Year 7 now. Walking in with a hot older boy," he teased. Carla rolled her eyes.

"You're so full of yourself."

"Do you know where you're going?"

"No, but I'm sure I'll work it out."

"Want me to meet you here at three o'clock?" Carla blinked in surprise, cocking her head slightly to one side and studying her companion. She'd never really had friends. It was almost impossible when you were unable to bring other kids home, or when you hadn't ever had a birthday party or couldn't give the whole class Christmas cards. The concept of somebody being nice to her was an alien one.

"You really don't have to just because we live near each other."

"Like I said, it's lonely on my own. And besides, you're alright. For a girl." Liam grinned at her, and for the first time in a long time, she felt a genuine bubble of happiness rising in her stomach.

"Thanks…" she replied, unsure of what to say to someone whose words were so full of kindness, "Then I guess I'll see you at three." Liam nodded awkwardly, stuck his hands into his trouser pockets, and headed in the direction of the technology block, his football still glued to his skilled feet.


End file.
